We are one of the largest and oldest universities in Europe and one of the most important employers in our region.
Our broad range of subjects, the dynamic development of our main research areas and our central location in Cologne
make us attractive for students and researchers from around the world. We offer a wide range of career opportunities in
science, technology, and administration.
The HCNB is developing a groundbreaking and funda-
mentally new technology for optical filters that aim to
significantly reduce noise in a wide range of applications.
This novel “polariton filter” technology overcomes the
problem of angle-dependence in thin film optical coatings
by exploiting the quantum mechanical interaction of light
with electronically excited states in thin layers of organic
materials, significantly enhancing the performance of a
variety of optical systems. The exceptional angular sta-
bility of our filter technology offers decisive advantages,
especially when measuring a wide field of view, in key
applications such as light detection and ranging, computer
vision and microscopy. In comparison to competing filter
technologies, the use of organic materials in our filter tech-
nology enables flexible adaptation to specific applications
(e.g. in the desired spectral range), reduces production costs
and energy consumption in the medium term and enables
the production of large-area filters that can be adapted to
components with a range of geometries. We are aiming at
creating a spin-off company for the design and production
of polariton filters and are looking to complement our team
on this exciting journey from university research to com-
mercialization. Our activity is currently funded by the BMWK
EXIST scheme.

YOUR PROFILE

» We are seeking a highly skilled scientist with a strong
technical background in organic semiconductors
to advance our research and entrepreneurial activ-
ities into thin film spectral filters. Ideal candidates
will hold an advanced degree (at least MSc., prefera-
bly PhD or equivalent) in chemistry, materials science,
or physics, with demonstrable expertise in material
development, characterization, processing, and/or device
integration of light-absorbing organic semiconductors.
Knowledge of thin film optical coatings and their fabrica-
tion is advantageous but not crucial.

In this role, you will be tasked with:
» Identifying and characterizing new organic materials with
tailored absorption properties
» Designing multi-layer filter stacks with our in-house
software
» Optimizing thin film deposition techniques to achieve
controlled film thickness and spectral selectivity
» Integrating materials into prototype spectral filters for
high-performance applications in LiDAR, microscopy,
health care diagnostics and many more